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After spending the last 24 hours crafting a bracket built to withstand the chaos that awaits us on Thursday, bettors get their first taste of the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night. The First Four provides a way to start the tournament with a few wins under our belt, but it's important to realize that we aren't limited to those single-game markets. Now that you have finalized your bracket and analyzed all 32 matchups, it's the perfect time to focus on March Madness futures.

The majority of the betting conversations revolve around which teams will make the Final Four or which team will be this year's Cinderella. As much as we love a Cinderella story, those underdogs usually meet their fates before escaping their region. Their story still has value, and you can capitalize on their run by targeting the Sweet Sixteen market. It's one of my favorite bets for several reasons.

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By betting teams to reach the Sweet Sixteen, it allows you to get decent value on schools that are underrated and have an advantageous path without having to bank on them winning four or five games in a row. There are only a few teams that are built to win consecutive games against the country's elite, but there are plenty of teams that can make some noise. I looked at four teams that include a mix of conservative bets at close to even money and two more aggressive plays at longer odds. BetMGM offers odds on every single team to make the Sweet 16, so grab your bracket and let's find some winners.

All lines via BetMGM.

Arkansas and coach Eric Musselman could be primed for an NCAA tournament run. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Arkansas (+110)

The Razorbacks finished the season on a 15-3 run that included wins against the SEC's toughest competition. They should handle business pretty easily against Vermont, leaving a potential showdown with UConn in the second round. The Huskies' length can be a challenge for any offense, but I'm confident in the Hogs' ability to get to the line. Arkansas guard J.D. Notae wants the ball in his hands at the end of the game and with a swarming defense backing him, the Razorbacks are a solid bet to advance to Sweet 16.

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Houston (+115)

The biggest knock on Houston is always the level of competition, but last year's Final Four run shows it is built for tournament success. The Cougars are one of two teams (along with Gonzaga) that rank in the top 12 of KenPom's efficiency metrics in both offense and defense. Coach Kelvin Sampson's team might win ugly, but it's a style of play bettors can count on. Houston's path looks tough on paper, but Illinois has struggled at times against strong, defensive teams that play physically. Houston at +115 makes a lot of sense.

Loyola Chicago (+400)

The story of Sister Jean lives on! I am betting there is one more run left in Loyola Chicago's tank as it gets the perfect opponent to open the tournament. We know the Ramblers will do their job defending, but the Buckeyes' defensive struggles really open the door for an upset. Ohio State ranks 131st in defensive efficiency and has lost four of its last five games heading into the tournament. To get to the Sweet 16, the real test will come in the second round against No. 2 seed Villanova. If the Ramblers lock down Collin Gillespie and force Nova to use its secondary scorers, they may have a shot.

Colgate (+2000)

Colgate fits the profile of a long shot that is worth backing. It is an elite 3-point shooting team (40.2%) that has won 19 of its last 20 games. A team playing with confidence without anything to lose is a dangerous combination in March. Colgate's path is what got my attention. It faces a reeling Wisconsin team in Round 1 that is coming off back-to-back losses. If it can get past the Badgers, the winner of Iowa State and LSU stands in the way of the Sweet 16. Three points are worth more than two, and neither of those teams can keep up with Colgate's shooting if it comes out scorching from beyond the arc. A 20 to 1 bet is always going to require a good share of luck, but it's worth a small stake considering the price.

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NCAA tournament: Here are four solid bets to make the Sweet 16 - Yahoo Sports

Welcome to the 2022 NCAA tournament. The tournament tips off in earnest just after noon on Thursday with Colorado State and Michigan. That's the first of 16 games throughout the day as we'll get an awesome 12 hours of basketball that will likely include an upset or three. Here's your viewing guide for the first full day of the 2022 men's tournament. All times are Eastern.

12:15 p.m.: No. 6 Colorado State vs. No. 11 Michigan (CBS)

12:40 p.m.: No. 4 Providence vs. No. 13 South Dakota State (TruTV)

1:45 p.m.: No. 8 Boise State vs. No. 9 Memphis (TNT)

2 p.m.: No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 16 Norfolk State (TBS)

Must-see: After tuning into the first few minutes of Colorado State and Michigan you need to have your attention on South Dakota State and Providence. The Jackrabbits are picked by nearly 30% of Yahoo users to pull the upset and are just 2.5-point underdogs to the Friars. SDSU went undefeated in the Summit League this year while Providence had a bunch of close wins. This could be a great one.

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Must-skip: Baylor should make easy work of Norfolk State. While you may need to spend some time watching this one because its the final game of the early session, itll probably be a blowout by the time you turn it on. The other three games should be much more competitive.

2:45 p.m.: No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 14 Longwood (CBS)

3:10 p.m.: No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 12 Richmond (TruTV)

4:15 p.m.: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 Georgia State (TNT)

4:30 p.m.: No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Marquette (TBS)

Must-see: North Carolina is favored by 3.5 points over Marquette in a game that could be the only close one of this set of games. The Eagles beat Villanova twice this season while North Carolina beat Duke to end the regular season. Both teams score over 74 points per game so this could be a race to 80.

Must-skip: Check the score on Gonzaga and see how star freshman Chet Holmgren is doing and thats about it. Theres a little more upset potential with Longwood and Richmond, but UNC and Marquette should take most of your attention late in the afternoon.

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North Carolina takes on Marquette in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

6:50 p.m.: No. 5 UConn vs. No. 12 New Mexico State (TNT)

7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 15 St. Peters (CBS)

7:20 p.m.: No. 5 St. Marys vs. No. 12 Indiana (TBS)

7:27 p.m.: No. 8 San Diego State vs. No. 9 Creighton (TruTV)

Must-see: You know how we said that North Carolina and Marquette could be high-scoring? Thats not going to be the case between San Diego State and Creighton. San Diego State allows 58 points per game and Creighton has allowed 65 points or fewer in each of its last five games. The total for this one is just 119 points. But it should be exceptionally close and dont be surprised if its a one-score game with under a minute left.

Must-skip: Sorry St. Peters, we arent putting much stock in your ability to hang with Kentucky. Indiana is capable of pulling off a 12-5 upset over St. Marys and New Mexico State is just a 6.5-point underdog against UConn. Kentucky should win this one easily and you could be flipping back and forth among the other three games.

9:20 p.m.: No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Vermont (TNT)

9:40 p.m.: No. 7 Murray State vs. No. 10 San Francisco (CBS)

9:50 p.m.: No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 13 Akron (TBS)

9:57 p.m.: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Texas Southern (TruTV)

Must-see: If youre a casual college basketball fan you likely havent seen any Murray State or San Francisco games this season. Change that late Thursday night. The Racers are 1.5-point favorites in this one and average nearly 80 points per game. San Francisco has scored 77 per game and shoots a lot of threes. Youll be entertained.

Must-skip: There wont be a UMBC moment on Thursday and all No. 1 seeds should win easily. If youre in the Eastern or Central time zones you can probably head to bed after UCLA and Akron because Kansas should have things under wraps by early in the second half at the latest against Texas Southern.

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2022 men's NCAA tournament viewing guide: What to watch and what to skip on Thursday - Yahoo Sports

Tim Hortons said it will open its first location in India later this year. (Photo by Lin Zejun/VCG via Getty Images)

Tim Hortons is expanding, bringing its double-doubles and Timbits to India as the chain looks to open hundreds of new locations around the world.

The coffee and doughnut chain announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with a joint venture owned by Apparel Group and Gate Partners and will open its first India location in New Delhi later this year. Tim Hortons parent company Restaurant Brands International (QSR)(QSR.TO) says there are plans to open 300 locations in India over the next decade.

"India is one of the world's fastest growing markets for coffee and tea retail chains and Tims is thrilled to be opening there soon," David Shear, president of RBI, said in a statement.

"This launch in India is another critical step in our continuing international expansion plans."

Tim Hortons is in the midst of an aggressive international expansion strategy, with a particular focus on China. The company opened its 400th location in China in January, less than three years after it started its first restaurant in the country.

"We're really excited about the progress we're making in Tims in China," chief executive Jose Cil told analysts on a conference call last month, adding that the brand is gaining traction in other international markets as well, including the Middle East, United Kingdom and Mexico.

"We have a very ambitious long-term target for growth in China and view that as a great path to build Tim's international business throughout the region in Asia and also in other markets around the globe."

India will mark the 14th country that Tim Hortons will operate in. The chain currently has 5,100 locations in 13 countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, China, Thailand, the Philippines and across the Middle East.

Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

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Tim Hortons to open first India location as it expands internationally - Yahoo Canada Finance

After taking out Sergey Spivak in the first round in September which earned him his third $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus a humbled Tom Aspinall called out Blagoy Ivanov, who was ranked 12 at the time.

The UFC didnt pay attention to that call-out. Instead, it put Aspinall in with No. 6 Alexander Volkov on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, ESPN+) at The O2 Arena in London, giving him a considerably tougher test.

And Aspinall, who won over so many fans after beating Spivak by showing his humility while talking about his desire to buy his family a home, thought the UFC had the best idea.

So, the hometown boy will meet Volkov in the first UFC card in the United Kingdom in three years with a lot on the line.

After Aspinall watched the Spivak bout, he agreed with the UFCs choice to have him fight Volkov and not Ivanov. Hes become a vastly different fighter.

Anytime you can get a win in the UFC, its impressive, said Aspinall, who is 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the UFC. But when you can get a win and not really be touched in the fight, it just really shows your level. It proves to yourself that what youve been doing is really working. My confidence since that fight has gone to a whole other level. Ive always been confident anyway in my own skills, my own ability, but I feel like now my skill level is very high.

He cringes when he speaks that way, because hes the opposite of a loud-mouth, self-absorbed trash talker. He carries himself with humility and isnt looking for attention or to make a name for himself with anything other than his ability.

In Las Vegas, he was caught on camera crying when he heard news that hed won a $50,000 bonus. He said at the news conference that night hed been saving to buy his family a home.

He took pains to point out that his emotion he showed upon learning hed gotten a bonus was real and hes not trying to manufacture a character.

What you see with Aspinall is what you get, and people are taking to him.

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These answers, theyre not so I come across humble or anything like that, Aspinall told Yahoo Sports. Theyre honest answers. Im not trying to come across any certain way. This is literally my honest answer. I see a lot of people giving these fake answers to try to come across a certain way and I dont like that stuff. Im just trying to be me. Some people yelled at me for tearing up on camera when I got the bonus, but I didnt even know there was a camera there. I had no idea. It was a guy with a phone in his hand. If it was up to me, that video wouldnt have been posted. I dont want to be crying on camera.

But I have bought a house for the family and we are in the house as of two months ago. Its amazing times to be 28 years old with three children and a wife and being able to support everybody. Great times.

Tom Aspinall takes a big step up in competition Saturday when he faces Alexander Volkov (not pictured) in the main event of UFC London. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Many fighters who have had success at a young or in a lot of cases, not such a young age wind up getting self-absorbed and many blow their fortunes not long after they get it.

If Aspinall defeats Volkov, hell likely be in or right near the top five of the heavyweight division and thats where the big money will start to come. Aspinall, though, said the money, fame and attention wont change him or see him all of a sudden develop an entourage the size of a small town in northern England.

His father will be a gatekeeper, he said, but its just not in Aspinalls nature to be that way.

[My father] is not just going to let some guy from off the street come in and start sweet-talking me and start taking all of my money, Aspinall said. No way. Theres absolutely no way hes going to let anything like that happen, so I dont even have to worry about it.

What he does have to worry about is Volkov, an elite heavyweight whose losses have come primarily against the best of the best. BetMGM has Aspinall as a -130 favorite, with Volkov at +110.

Aspinall has much respect for Volkov, but his body of work convinced him he was ready for this opponent at this stage of his career.

He brings so many problems, Aspinall said. Hes 6-foot-8 and as you just mentioned, he has so much more experience than me. I was told today that hes got more knockouts than I have fights. Hes got a lot of knockouts. Hes got a lot of five-rounders under his belt. Hes got a lot of three-rounders under his belt, so the experience is there. Hes been fighting at a high level. Hes fought in front of large crowds. Ive never fought in front of a full-capacity crowd before.

On paper, it looks like its a mismatch in his favor. But paper doesnt really mean anything when it comes to stepping into the Octagon and fighting. Nobody really has an idea of what I can do in the Octagon. People think theyve got an idea, but Ive shown minimal, the minimum of my skill set is what Ive shown so far.

Saturday in front of a huge throng cheering his name would be a good time for him to show those skills. And dont be at all surprised if he does, and in a big way.

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Tom Aspinall's wayward path to UFC spotlight: 'Im just trying to be me' - Yahoo Sports

Viktor Hovland is bettors most popular choice in a solid field at the Valspar Championship.

Five of the worlds top 10 golfers are entered in this weekends tournament at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. Hovland, the No. 3 golfer in the world, is the No. 2 favorite for the tournament at +1000 at BetMGM. Hes getting 6% of bets to win the tournament and is the only player getting more than 10% of the money bet on the winner of the tournament.

World No. 1 Jon Rahm isnt entered this week so Collin Morikawa is the top player in the field. Morikawa is the No. 3 favorite in the field at +1100. Hes getting 4% of bets and the second-most money behind Hovland at 9.2% of the handle.

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The favorite for the weekend is Justin Thomas at +900. Hes getting just over 4% of wagers and under 8% of money wagered.

The second-most popular pick to win is Dustin Johnson at +1400. Hes getting just under 5% of bets, though those bets make up just under 5% of the total money wagered.

The other top-10 player entered in the field is Xander Schauffele. The Tokyo Olympics gold medalist is at +1800 to win and is getting 3% of bets and 2.4% of the money to win the tournament.

The Valspar is the last tournament of the PGA Tours spring Florida swing. The World Golf Championships match play event is next week and will feature dozens of the worlds top players. The Texas Open is the first event of April and is the last full-field event before the Masters which begins on April 7.

Viktor Hovland is the No. 2 favorite ahead of the Valspar Championship. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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PGA Tour betting: Viktor Hovland is the top pick of bettors ahead of Valspar Championship - Yahoo Sports

We have one night left until the biggest day in college basketball consumes us with 16 games of pure mayhem. For Wednesday night we're looking at the NBA card to give our bankroll another boost before one of the biggest sports betting weekends of the year. All three bets hit from Monday's side, total, and prop, giving us a clean 3-0 sweep on the night. Let's keep the momentum rolling as we dive into Wednesday night's 12-game schedule.

Draymond Green played 20 mins and posted seven rebounds and six assists in his return from injury Monday night. The Warriors cruised to their fourth straight victory and fifth straight cover. Call me a contrarian, but I am not buying everything is perfect again in Dub Nation. I am not saying the Warriors won't be in form by the postseason, but the Boston Celtics are a great litmus test for any team.

Golden State's offense looked outstanding facing one of the worst defenses in the NBA on Monday night. Unfortunately, that level of competition against Washington doesn't provide much predictive value. The Celtics' superior defense travels well, stifling opponents at a rate of 105.7 points per 100 possessions in road games. I think they can bottle up Curry enough and test Golden State's depth. Both defenses will bring maximum effort, making the points with the dog even more valuable. The C's are 6-3 ATS in their last nine on the road and have covered in five of their last six trips to the Bay. I will take the points and bank on Tatum keeping them close.

The Wizards are happy to be home after a winless West Coast road trip in which they allowed more than 122 points per game. Before the Warriors scored 73 points in the first half Monday night, Washington gave up over 120 points per game to three bottom-eight offenses. Their 123.4 defensive rating for the month of March is an embarrassing 29th in the NBA. They are also 29th in their last 15 home games, making it very unlikely the hometown crowd sparks a defensive effort against Denver.

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Nuggets MVP candidate Nikola Jokic should beef up his case in a big way. The Wizards allow the fifth-most points to centers, and Denver will be motivated to catch the Jazz and Mavericks in the Western Conference standings. Washington is on a five-game run to the over and has been a sneaky-good offensive team with Kristaps Porzingis. This is a great situational spot to push the over streak to six.

Philadelphia was the big trade deadline winner but has been losers of late ever since the schedule leveled up. The 76ers have lost three of their last five and are desperate to get their Big 3 back on track and that includes Tyrese Maxey. After averaging over 26 points in his first four games with James Harden, Maxey's scoring production dropped to 13.4 points over the last five games. Philly missed his scoring touch, going 2-3 during his struggles.

The trend is clear that the Sixers need Maxey to be more assertive, and Wednesday night's opponent should give him the confidence to do so. Maxey scorched the Cavs for 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting less than two weeks ago. He gets another opportunity against that same Cavs defense. I expect a big push from Joel Embiid and Harden to get him touches, making me comfortable that the second-year guard delivers.

Stats provided by teamrankings.com, evanalytics.com, and nba.com.

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NBA betting: How to bet Celtics-Warriors on Wednesday night - Yahoo Sports

Kyrie Irving scores a career and Nets franchise high 60 points in win over Magic, NYC vaccine mandate will keep unvaccinated Yankees and Mets from playing in home games, Aaron Judge punts when asked if hes vaccinated against Covid-19, and March Madness is underway with Texas Southern and Indiana advancing out of the First Four! Plus, The Rush economics team gets hypothetical, exploring the potential monetary impact of a scenario in which an unvaccinated player were to only be compensated for away games in accordance with local vaccine mandates.

- Edwards, the handoff. Quick trigger, Irving, 60. 60, Kyrie Irving.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

JARED QUAY: We're going to talk Kyrie in a minute. But first, March madness is officially on and popping. The first four kicked off last night with Texas Southern and Indiana advancing to the main stage on Thursday for a round of 64. Now, the madness ain't exclusive to college basketball.

Yep, that's Colin Kaepernick throwing deep balls to Tyler Lockett. And I got to say Kaps On looks good. Now, is Kap going to be able to throw that ball with Aaron Donald coming straight for him? I don't know, but he deserves a chance to find out. What I do know is there's a lot of NFL teams who can use a starting quarterback with Super Bowl experience right about now.

Right about now I'm sensing the Yankees and Mets fans are freaking the [BLEEP] out. You know the New York City vaccine mandate that prevents unvaccinated Kyrie Irving from playing in Nets home games?

- Yeah, what about it?

JARED QUAY: You know because Kyrie won't get the jab to protect himself and teammates, he's got to save his career high 60-point performance for road games.

- Off the window.

JARED QUAY: Well, that mandate applies to the Yankees and Mets, too. So with that in mind on Tuesday, a reporter asked Yankees superstar Aaron Judge if he's vaccinated. This is his response.

AARON JUDGE: I'm so focused on just getting through the first game of spring training. So I think we'll, we'll cross that bridge whenever, you know, the time comes. But right now, so many things could change. So I'm not really too worried about that right now.

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JARED QUAY: Oh, OK, I guess Aaron's not too worried about only doing half his job this season.

- OK, well, I'm worried.

JARED QUAY: I still have a tough time grasping this. So you're telling me the same group of people who take all kinds of supplements that aren't FDA approved, who put metal pins under their skin to hold their bones together, who have ligaments from dead bodies insert into their bodies, who relieve pain with opioid pills and injections, you're saying some of these guys still won't take the COVID vaccine.

- It just don't make no damn sense.

JARED QUAY: No, it's sure don't. But if teams really cared about the safety of their employees, the'd put some money on the line. You only pay half of that schedule, you only get half of that paycheck.

- Come on.

JARED QUAY: For example, Aaron Judge is going to make $17 million this year.

- That's a lot of money.

JARED QUAY: If you cut his paycheck in half it turns to $8.5 million. Take half of that away to pay the tax man, and get down to $4.25 million, not even enough money to buy a fixer upper in Brooklyn. I'd change my mind real quick. Let's be honest, all right. If they tried to cut my percentage like 10%. We'll, give you 10% less. All right give, me three jabs. I want three of them. I want the booster on the same day as the second shot. Just give it to me.

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The Rush: Kyrie Irving drops 60, Aaron Judge drops the ball on Covid vaccine - Yahoo Sports

When Stefan Prodanovic began experimenting with graphic design at age 13, jointly creating digital games with a school friend who worked on the coding, he never could have anticipated the hobby would turn into a rather lucrative business into his adulthood. Today, Prodanovic is earning $20,000 a month creating artwork for non-fungible token (NFT) collections.

The 25-year-old graphic designer from Bosnia, who has become a top-rated seller on Fiverr an online marketplace for professional freelancers creating logos over the past three years using the website, recently forayed into NFTs after being approached to work on a collection for a project last year. Once he expanded his services on Fiverr to include NFT-specific artwork, his monthly income doubled and he has had to hire workers to keep up with the demand.

As the gig economy continues to grow rapidly, freelancers like Prodanovic have managed to turn side hustles into money-making careers. And the fast-growing world of Web3 is providing even more opportunities for freelance workers to generate income from services related to NFTs, the metaverse, and cryptocurrencies.

NFTs are still an unexplored area and so many people are trying to get into it, and Im happy I can be part of that, Prodanovic said.

Fiverr found that 64% of U.S.-based freelancers using its website have now profited from selling NFT-related services, according to a new survey. The companys data also reveals a 278% surge between Q3 to Q4 of 2021 in the amount of workers on the platform listing gigs for NFT-related services, with worldwide freelance earnings in those jobs jumping 374% in the same period.

Visitors read about Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, during the opening weekend of the Seattle NFT Museum in Seattle, Washington on January 29, 2022. - Using the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies, Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) transform anything from illustrations to memes into virtual collectors' items that cannot be duplicated. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP) (Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)

Its not just freelancers trying to be part of the NFT marketplace, Yoav Hornug, group manager for creative verticals, told Yahoo Finance. On the demand side, we see more businesses ordering these services.

NFTs, unique crypto assets sold and traded using blockchain technology, exploded last year into a $27 billion business and signs point to that being just the start. Last month, investment bank Jefferies forecasts the NFT market could top $35 million in 2022, and over $80 billion by 2025. The projection appears to be supported anecdotally, too: major companies including Disney (DIS), Gamestop (GME), and Nike (NKE) have listed relevant jobs in recent months as they build out teams to focus on NFTs and the metaverse.

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Once Fiverr began noticing an uptick in searches and tags on its website for NFT-related work last year, the company added NFT gigs as a standalone category on the website to create a more professionally-structured way for sellers and buyers to connect on such gigs. Hornug said that the type of gigs are wide-ranging and include game development, graphic design, architecture, social media management, and writing articles about NFTs. Currently, Fiverr has services listed under NFT Artwork, NFT Services, and NFT Marketplaces.

Of respondents to the survey, 54% said that they can see themselves earning an additional $2,600 to $5,200 per month monetizing skills related to blockchain technology.

Prodanovic told Yahoo Finance hes on pace to close the month out at $30,000, selling his work at three different price tiers. The basic costs $500 and offers one base art to use for 100 NFTs. The standard costs $1,000 for one base art that would make 1,000 NFTs, and the premium is $2,500 gives a customer one base art that can make 10,000 NFTs that can be used and minted for a collection.

In the U.K., Adam Javaid, 26, and Sam Pitman, 23 expect to rake in $50,000 on Fiverr this month creating smart contracts, or the programming that deploys NFTs onto the blockchain and thats just after adding the service to their lineup of offerings two weeks ago.

Javaid and Pitman, college friends, both left full-time jobs in cybersecurity and used Fiverr to help create their e-commerce and digital marketing business and began transitioning into blockchain-focused gigs six months ago, after Facebooks rebrand to Meta resulted in a jump in inquiries from prospective clients for services related to Web3.

Pitman said they transitioned their agency to a Web3 focus and are looking to expand outside of Fivver in the near future and even open a physical office.

Its not just going to be small projects in the long term, Pitman said. These small projects are great for us, but there will be much larger scale ones when corporate companies start understanding the real-use case behind an actual NFT itself.

Pitman is already getting interest from bigger established clients. Most recently, a prominent nightclub in Miami solicited them to create a series of NFTs.

Its been pretty nonstop, Javaid said. Its looking great for business.

Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alexandraandnyc

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NFTs are seeing a billion-dollar boom and gig workers are cashing in - Yahoo Finance

George Karlaftis bull-rushed the center on his first football snap. This was in middle school, so Karlaftis already-gargantuan 6-foot, 200-pound frame (by his coachs estimate) careened past the offensive line into the backfield for an easy sack.

Problem was, Karlaftis jumped offsides and the play didnt count. The 13-year-old didnt realize it. He was playing American football for the first time. The Athens, Greece, native had recently moved to West Lafayette, Indiana, following the sudden death of his father earlier that summer and picked up the sport only after conversations with friends and family.

So Karlaftis, confused but proud of himself, trotted over to his coaches after the play to figure out what he did wrong and how he could get better.

I got past the center, which was easy, Karlaftis confidently said to his coaches. But what am I supposed to do next?

(Michael Wagstaffe/Yahoo Sports)

Karlaftis and his coaches laugh now about that moment, the genesis of a football journey that began with blissful ignorance quickly followed by an astounding ascension. Karlaftis rose up to become a four-star defensive end in four full seasons of organized football, then a first-team AP Freshman All-American at Purdue before he finished his collegiate career with 14 sacks in 16 games.

Now, hes a likely first-round NFL draft pick seven years after picking up the sport.

Karlaftis hasnt garnered the same attention as some of the other top pass rushers like Michigans Aidan Hutchinson or Oregons Kayvon Thibodeaux, but his blend of power and finesse stands out in the class.

His football trajectory was expertly curated. Karlaftis built a plan of action from the moment he decided to play the sport and continues to tweak it as his journey progresses. It started with learning football, determining how to get to a Division I school and how to make it to the NFL.

I've always been the kind of guy that likes to plan ahead, Karlaftis told Yahoo Sports in January. And it's shown to be successful through a lot of hard work, dedication and all that kind of stuff. And that's kind of who I've been, just planning everything ahead, having a very detailed plan."

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Karlaftis doesnt dwell too much on what brought him to Indiana from Athens. After his father, Matthew, died suddenly of a heart attack in the summer of 2014 at the age of 44, Karlaftis and his family moved to his mother Amys hometown of West Lafayette within two months.

Those weeks were a blur for Karlaftis. He had a U16 water polo tournament for the Greek national team, but Karlaftis could barely get in the water. He didnt even check his grades after taking his seventh-grade finals before hopping on a flight to Indiana in August. Alone.

All he focused on was what came next.

Certain things happen in your life, and they affect you very differently in your feelings to a certain point. And your emotions can become numb to almost everything else. And that's almost to a point how its become for me, Karlaftis said. Little things in life just don't really affect me. And I always look forward to what's next. I don't really reflect on the past too much. I learn from them, absolutely. But that's what's next, so that, I guess, whatever kind of mentality you want to call that.

His fathers death is the reason why he moved to Indiana, but his connection to his father helped him build his strategy for success. Matthew constantly offered words of affirmation, and it helped his son link his genetic advantages with mental confidence. Karlaftis father also preached the academic side of athletics, regularly helping his son digest video tutorials of water polo experts while Karlaftis trained as a goalkeeper.

Building a coherent thesis based on copious research was already baked into Karlaftis psyche because of his parents. They both earned advanced degrees Matthew received a Ph.D. in civil engineering at Purdue, while Amy got her MBA from the University of Indianapolis after meeting Matthew at Purdue while earning her bachelors in management.

Karlaftis interest in football turned into an obsession, one where hed fawn over highlights of J.J. Watt and other sack artists, and research how to build himself into a big-time recruit and eventually an NFL prospect.

Offensive lines, like Nebraska's pictured in October of 2021, had to pay close attention to Purdue's George Karlaftis. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

The learning curve for Karlaftis wasnt easy. The same guy who can now switch up his moves between a chop rip, a club rip and an arm over the course of a game didnt know the difference between a 1-technique and a 5-technique, or even how to put on football pads, seven years ago.

He didn't know anything about the game of football, said Dan Adams, Karlaftis' middle school coach. Didn't know how to put his hand down and get into a three-point stance, none of that.

His coaches loved his size but were so unsure of what to do with him that they tried him out as a kicker as a freshman on the varsity high school team. They even bought him a size 14.5 square toe kicking shoe because he didnt kick with the side of his foot. But even on special teams, Karlaftis showed his drive. He would sprint down the field and tackle the ball carrier after kicking it.

Karlaftis' kicking days didnt last long. He slowly built his confidence on the defensive line with small progressions. First: Just slant right or left depending on the play call. Then: understanding gap assignments, stunts and how to stop the run. Former NFL defensive end and Purdue alum Chike Okeafor taught him the basics of hand combat and stances as a sophomore, which immensely aided his elevation.

One of the biggest things Karlaftis needed to fix early was his approach at the line of scrimmage. His coaches had a plan for that they put the offensive line 5 feet in front of a fence that circled the practice field and forced the defensive linemen to find non-linear paths to the backfield. Karlaftis couldnt bull-rush, anymore, he had to learn other moves.

"But he came along fast," high school head coach Shane Fry said. "I mean, from going from zero, the little he played in eighth grade, to having some experience at the lower levels as a freshman, to being on the varsity field in 10th grade. ... We were all so patient in realizing he's already come a long way. He's bound to come even further."

All the while, Karlaftis asked a million questions and absorbed film at an impressive pace. He pored over YouTube clips of legendary pass rushers to find intricacies he couldn't learn on the field. He read up on recruiting and how to get a leg up on the competition with his training and diet.

By the time his junior year rolled around, Karlaftis felt the game slow down. He felt confident in himself and his ability to use his body to overpower the competition.

I was far more advanced than everyone else. I was far more developed than everyone else, he said. So I was gaining steam.

Karlaftis graduated the spring semester of his senior year, something that surprised his mother and his non-football coaches. He was a two-time shot put state champion on the verge of becoming the first three-time winner in school history, and he was also one of the better basketball players on his team. But Karlaftis knew that by leaving for Purdue a full semester early, hed have more time to prep for his collegiate career.

I knew in high school, I was the biggest, fastest, strongest, best technique, while in college I was the bottom at the totem pole, Karlaftis said. So I had to work in order to get back up at the top.

Unsurprisingly, that strategy worked as well.

In a four-month period, he transformed his body like nobody else our strength trainer has ever seen, Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. And he was one of those young men that because he hadn't played football a whole lot, he was willing to learn. So if you told him to do something that was in his best interest, man, he went full speed ahead and did it. So I just think when he transformed his body that fast in four months, like, Oh, jeez. This guy, he means business.

Fast-forward three years later, Karlaftis saw his weight bump up from 260 to 275 but his BMI fall from 25 percent to 15. He upped his bench press from 275 pounds as a freshman to 335 as a junior. He more than doubled his power clean from 185 pounds to 380 and can now squat 635 and front-squat 505.

He was here for a purpose, Brohm added. He just had a burning desire to prove himself.

Purdue defensive line coach Mark Hagen asks his players to fill out a film review sheet every week to break down their opponent. Each section includes a set of lines for every player on the offensive line and the tight ends their strengths, weaknesses, tendencies and any other observations from the film.

Karlaftis would return to Hagen with the sheet absolutely filled.

It was almost like he was writing a term paper on that three-page handout, Hagan said. There wasn't enough white space to take more notes.

That preparation spilled onto the field. He showed off his power almost immediately as a freshman with 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss in 12 games. A COVID-19 and injury-riddled 2020 season ended with just two sacks in two games, but Karlaftis returned in 2021 with 4.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

But the tape speaks for itself. Talent evaluators see the strength when he overpowers tackles on the way to the quarterback as he did against Illinois this past season or the combination of moves and mobility against Notre Dame when then-Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly tried to double up Karlaftis, but he still found penetration and finished with a half-sack.

It all boils down to Karlaftis' mindset: It's football, football and more football. He says he thinks about the sport 100 percent of the time when he's eating, dreaming, training, reading. It consumes him, much like it did for the past seven years. Only this time, the goal is bigger: Get to the NFL.

Before I played a down of football, I knew that football was what I wanted to do, Karlaftis said. And I know this sounds weird but I knew that's what I wanted to do. And I knew I was going to do it at the highest level.

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Purdue's George Karlaftis could be 2022 NFL draft's version of the Greek Freak - Yahoo Sports

The two most common reasons to walk away from a proposed business deal are that a) you no longer want to be in that business/deal or b) when negotiations inevitably resume, you believe you can get more favorable terms.

Last week, the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 or The Alliance as they call themselves bailed on a proposed expansion of the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12. Seven conferences most notably the SEC and Notre Dame were in favor of the proposal.

Since expansion currently requires unanimity, the 8-3 vote assures that the four-team playoff will remain intact for the next four seasons through fall 2025. Had the expansion been agreed to, the new plan might have begun in 2023.

With the original 12-year contract coming to an end, there is nothing in place after 2025. Conferences are thus free to do as they wish. A unanimous vote is no longer needed to set something up. The 2026 season and beyond is very much unknown.

The Alliance certainly wants to be in the national playoff business. If it weren't in the playoffs, then it'd miss out on the revenue and marketing opportunity, and recruiting would immediately be decimated.

As such, we can eliminate option A as the reason it voted no.

So does the Alliance believe it can get a better deal? If so, that is a very big gamble, which we discuss on the latest edition of the "College Football Enquirer" podcast.

By walking away now, the Alliance increased the power of the SEC and its commissioner, Greg Sankey.

Georgia and Alabama continued the SEC's dominance of the CFP. (Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)

The SEC no longer has to work with all of the other leagues, but the other leagues almost certainly have to work with it. The conference is indispensable to a national playoff. Its the only league to appear in all eight of the playoffs (and twice it placed two teams in) and won five titles. Prior to the playoff, it won seven of the final eight BCS championships.

It has the best programs and a plurality of the best players. Only the Big Ten can rival it in terms of passionate fans and television revenue.

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It will also add Oklahoma and Texas in the next few years as a massive new $3 billion television deal kicks in.

Essentially, the Alliance has given up its veto power at a time when the SEC is set to only increase its influence over the sport.

Sankey may not hold all the cards, but he holds a great deal of them. He also appears to have willing allies in Notre Dame, the Big 12 and five smaller conferences.

So can the Alliance get a better deal in, say, two years (or sooner) when negotiations for the future of the playoff begin? And was giving up a very balanced 12-team playoff that the SEC was offering worth delaying things two seasons?

Sankey was one of four people who wrote the 12-team playoff plan. He was adamant that the SEC didnt need expansion it's clearly doing fine but wanted to be part of aiding the sport across the country.

Things such as allowing for six automatic bids to conference champions were designed to do that. It was a lifeline to not just the smaller conferences but to the Alliance, which have consistently had champs not make the field (the Pac-12 hasnt gotten a bid since 2016).

The plan was initially heralded by all. Then it got blocked. That's going to sting. Sankey repeatedly warned that there was no guarantee that the 12-team plan would still be on the table if expansion was delayed.

Did the Alliance think that was a bluff? Maybe it will be, but Sankey is promising to review all options now.

We have to rethink formats, Sankey said. A wholesale evaluation of our position.

College football is at its best when the entire country is competitive not just geographically, but at all levels. The sport is about the fabric of traditions, rivalries and action.

But the SEC is under no obligation to continue to aid in that, especially when its last plan wasnt enacted. The publicly stated reasons are confusing as well.

The Pac-12 was pushing for the interests of the Rose Bowl. The Big Ten wanted all five power conferences to have an automatic bid, not just the top six conference champions, which is a distinction with little difference. The ACC just wanted to take more time to evaluate how name, image and likeness, and the transfer portal work out, which is understandable but, again, risky.

The SEC will have options.

Lets say, for the sake of argument, it took its soon-to-be 16 team league and held its own eight-team playoff, top two from each four-team quad (sort of like the NFLs AFC or NFC).

Then it could have its winner play the winner of the top two teams from the Notre Dame/Big 12/Group of 5 in a sort of national title contest. A nine-game SEC playoff might be worth close to a billion per year, generate enormous attention (and thus NIL opportunities for recruits) and no longer allow the Alliance to draft off the SECs power.

Possible? Sure. Probably? Maybe not, but also maybe. Or something else could be designed. Or the SEC could try to expand again and go to 20 teams. Or pick off one Alliance conference (hello, Pac-12) for its group. Who knows?

Maybe the old deal is sitting there. But it may not. Thats the kind of uncertainty ahead. That's the kind power that the Alliance gave the SEC.

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Alliance surrendered its CFP power to SEC. So why would kings of college football be accommodating in next expansion talks? - Yahoo Sports